Pause
by Liradawn
Summary: A moment caught in time. An emphasis to an ending, a prelude before a beginning. Pause-because without space, songs would make no sense and life would be boring. 6 song-inspired SuFin drabbles, in celebration of Sweden's birthday.


**A/N: This was supposed to be for Sweden's birthday/national day. Unfortunately, writing it took a lot more creativity than I was able to dredge up in a single day, so here it is 3 days late. Bleh.**

**Rules:  
><strong>1. Pick a pairing (SuFin)  
>2. Set your music player to shuffle<br>3. Write a drabble relating to that pairing for the first 6 (because Sweden's birthday is 6/6, and I'm lazy) songs that come up.

* * *

><p><strong>Newgrange—Celtic Woman, ft. Orla Fallon<strong>  
>Something about old monuments, steeped with legend and folklore, draws Sweden and Finland to them. Finland thinks, as he slips his hand into Sweden's before the ring of stones, perhaps it's because in the middle of a world that spins faster and faster every day, the mysterious mounds are a reminder that some things remain constant through too many centuries to remember.<p>

**You Did a Good Thing—Sleepthief, ft. Nicola Hitchcock**  
>Sweden sits alone, the fire throwing his face into sharp relief, all shifting yellow and stark shadow. His blue eyes stare into the flames, but the light they see comes from a source far different from the one before him. Purple eyes that twinkle with perpetual laughter; a delicate mouth open in genuine joy—but the sight lasts only for a moment before the flames claim their rightful place once more.<p>

How could he ever have let such a nation with such a smile go? Yet he knows that setting the smaller nation free was the only way that some day, Finland will return, lighting up Sweden's world with his grin.

But until then, the fire will have to do.

**Somebody—Connie Dover  
><strong>In the dead of night, he walks quietly, steadily west, leaving only a fine trail of fine marks in the snow. If he stops, he'll have to acknowledge his effort is futile—because Sweden won't be there, not when there's no way for him to know Finland is coming, and all the journey will accomplish is angering Russia—so he keeps moving, step following endless step, imagining the smile that will dance in Sweden's aquamarine eyes when they meet at the border.

**Gimme Gimme Gimme (a man after midnight)—ABBA  
><strong>Sweden raises his head from his pillow with a gasp, knowing instantly something is wrong. He is right—the spot next to his in bed is empty, cold, hasn't been slept in. For a moment there is sheer panic—and then he remembers that Finland is gone and has been gone and he's lost count how many times he's woken up like this in the middle of the night.

The adrenaline keeps him from falling back asleep, so instead he gets up, steps over the window, and throws it open, not caring that the cold winter wind chills his room in an instant.

**It's the Fear—Within Temptation  
><strong>If the choice had been between Finland and anyone else, Sweden would have known exactly what to choose.

But how could he choose between Finland and Finland?

The Finland who calls himself White raises his rifle and Red Finland crumples to the ground, as Sweden watches silently from his side. White lowers his weapon slowly, silently. There is no joy in their hearts at the victory, no exclamations of glee or relief. Only the slightest rustle of wind and a soft thud when the one remaining Finland drops to his knees and Sweden bends down to hold him. Only scattered sobs barely audible above the wind as red blood drips from one Finland and pools under the other onto white, white snow.**  
><strong>

**You Raise Me Up  
><strong>A lion is an apt representation of Sweden, Finland thinks, as he watches the former empire brood by the window. Calm and dignified, yet filled with latent power ready to burst forth at a moment's notice.

It's one of the small joys in Finland's life, how he can tame the lion with nothing more than his quiet presence, his gentle touch against Sweden's back. And when Sweden turns to grace Finland with the tiniest upward tilt of his lips, the smaller nation is hard pressed to find anything else that fills him with such a blend of exhilaration and happiness and, most of all, love.

* * *

><p><strong>More notes:<strong> Historical references, yay! Yeah, for some reason most of my SuFin comes out angsty. The _It's The Fear_ fic is a reference to the Finnish Civil War, in which the Whites (backed by Germany) fought the Reds (backed by Russia). Other than that, most of the sections should be pretty self-explanatory.


End file.
